Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili had served as Governor of the Odessa region from May 30, 2016 until November 9, 2016

ODESSA, January 12. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko has formally introduced Maksim Stepanov as the Odessa Region’s new governor.

"This is a good choice. He has two university degrees, he is not new to the Odessa region and has experience since he used to work as the first deputy chairman of the regional state administration. He is eager to work here and fulfill his duties rather than take trips to foreign countries," Poroshenko said during the introduction ceremony.

He also thanked Stepanov for his previous work at the state-run Ukraine Printing Plant producing various documents forms. According to the president, Stepanov had to launch the production of biometric passports and ID cards, an assignment he completed within a set deadline.

On December 20, 2016, Senior Civil Service panel on selecting high-ranking government officials declared Stepanov the winner of a bid for the post of regional governor. Before that, he used to occupy posts in various state agencies and commercial enterprises.

Former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili had served as Governor of the Odessa region from May 30, 2016 until November 9, 2016. On November 7, 2016, he announced his resignation saying "it is impossible to combat corruption since top state officials are involved in it."